A First Time for Everything
by Emachinescat
Summary: Tag to 'Arthur's Bane Part 1'. Guinevere has been the Queen of Camelot for three years. She has had to make some difficult decisions, but this is the first time that she has condemned someone to death, and now Sefa's terrified eyes are haunting her. Was her decision to sentence her maid the right one? 5x01


A First Time for Everything

A Merlin Fan-Fiction by Emachinescat

SUMMARY: Tag to "Arthur's Bane Part 1." Guinevere has been the Queen of Camelot for three years. She has had to make some difficult decisions, but this is the first time that she has condemned someone to death, and now Sefa's terrified eyes are haunting her. Was her decision to sentence her maid the right one? 5x01

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**A/N: Episode tag time! Hee hee… I still have several ideas for Merlin and Arthur bromance tags, and maybe some whumpy AUs, but first I had to get this written. :) Even though I understood _why_ Gwen did what she did, it still bothered me. Greatly. And even if it _was _necessary, I still think that Gwen – if she's anything like the _old_ Gwen – would have a hard time sentencing _anyone_ to death without feeling _some_ remorse. And I don't really know if this is the first time she's sentenced anyone to death, but for the sake of this tag, we're going to say that it is! So this is what came of my speculations. I hope you enjoy; please review! ;)**

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**A First Time for Everything**

A young, pale serving girl with limp brown hair and large blue eyes helped the Queen of Camelot prepare for bed that night. When Guinevere had asked for the girl's name, she had answered in a soft, meek voice, "I'm Rachel, m'lady." The girl couldn't have been more than seventeen years old. And she looked rather frightened in her new position as the queen's maidservant.

"It's lovely to meet you, Rachel," Guinevere said with a sympathetic smile. She knew what it was like to be young and frightened with a new position serving royalty. She had been about Rachel's age when _she_ had been appointed Morgana's maid. My, how things had changed since then. Guinevere would have never believed that about ten years later, Morgana would be a powerful sorceress bent on Camelot's destruction, while she herself was married to her Arthur, her true love and the King of Camelot.

Rachel dipped her head, eyes still frightened. She stoked her mistress's fire, asked if there was anything else that she needed, and then slipped out of the room without another word. Guinevere watched her go, heart heavy. She thought of Sefa, and a terrible thought struck her. Was her new maid, Rachel, _afraid_ to be serving the queen? Surely not; Guinevere knew that she had always been fair and just, and after three years of ruling at Arthur's side, she had gained a noble reputation. Then why the fear in Rachel's eyes? The girl had to know that Sefa's fate was of her own making; the girl's betrayal was what led to her sentence.

Guinevere sat on her bed, glancing at the empty space where Arthur should have been lying next to her. A fierce wave of anger washed over her as she thought about Sefa's betrayal. Guinevere had taken care of the girl, helped her, been her friend, much like Morgana had done for her before she changed. And Sefa had gone against that trust and their bond of friendship. Like Morgana, Sefa had allowed magic to corrupt her, and she had betrayed her kingdom, her sovereigns, and her friends. Her sentence had been harsh, but it was necessary. Treason was treason, and Guinevere could not let fleeting remnants of friendship or small moments of weakness change her mind. Sefa would be executed for her crimes.

And yet, she had done this out of loyalty to her father. Guinevere had not _really_ listened to the girl's rationalizations after the truth had been made known, but she had heard the love and devotion in Sefa's voice when she talked of her father. He deserved respect, she had said. Just because he had magic, he was hated and spurned, and he only wanted what was rightfully his. It was obvious that Sefa loved her father, and Guinevere could understand. She would have done _anything_ for her own father. An ache deep within her heart reminded her that even after all these years, she still missed old Tom the blacksmith more than she could say.

What would he have said about her decision to sentence her maid to death for treason? Certainly, Guinevere's father would have never believed that his daughter, once a poor peasant barely making a living by waiting on others, would one day be the Queen of Camelot. Even after three years, there were still days when Guinevere could scarcely believe it herself.

Sefa's eyes, terrified and desperate, pleaded for mercy in Guinevere's mind's eye. This was the first time that Guinevere herself had sentenced anyone to death. She lay down, mind whirling in a blur of doubts, guilt, and fears, and tried not to think about it any longer. Sefa had committed treason. She deserved what she was going to get. And yet Guinevere completely understood how the girl felt. She had been condemned to death for treason once before, although she had not actually committed a crime. Still, Sefa was so young, and influenced by her father. She had been Guinevere's friend, and now she was going to die. At Guinevere's command.

_Had _she done the right thing? Guinevere stared at the canopy above her, but closed her eyes when she imagined that she could see Sefa's horrified face in the fabric, staring desperately back at her. "I did what was right," the queen whispered to herself. Arthur's face came into her mind and she thought about how he was missing. She may never get to see him again, and it would be all due to Sefa's betrayal. Ignoring the last bit of uncertainty, Guinevere pushed the traitorous serving girl from her mind. Perhaps it was proving to be difficult, sentencing someone to death.

Then again, she reminded herself as her imagination took it upon itself to play out countless, terrible scenarios of her beloved king's demise, there was always a first time for everything.

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**A/N: No real plot progression there, but rather a look into Gwen's mind. Or Guinevere, as I took to calling her in this tag. For some reason, I'm finding it difficult to call her by her nickname now. Must be because she seems like a much different person to me now that she's queen. Anyway… hope you enjoyed. Within the next couple of days, expect some more episode tags (with whumpage and bromance!). Please review! :)**

**~Emachinescat ^..^**


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